Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. A spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation, it ran for seven seasons from 1993 to 1999 and was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The show was based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

This series is a departure from the established Star Trek formula; it is the first series not to feature the Enterprise and her crew. Instead, the series chronicles the events surrounding the space station Deep Space Nine, a former Cardassian ore processing station (originally called Terok Nor) which has recently been placed under joint control of the Federation and Bajor, the planet it orbits. In the first episode, the crew discovers the presence of a nearby stable wormhole which provides immediate travel to and from the distant Gamma Quadrant; this immediately makes the station an important strategic asset, as well as a vital center of commerce with the largely-unexplored area of space.

Inside the wormhole live aliens who exist beyond time and do not understand the linear nature by which other lifeforms experience it. These aliens are the Bajoran Prophets which are worshipped as gods by the people of Bajor, and the wormhole itself is the long-prophesied Celestial Temple. Commander Benjamin Sisko, who discovered the wormhole, becomes revered as the Emissary of the Prophets, a spiritual role with which he is not at all comfortable.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine inspires strong opinions from Star Trek fans. Some abandoned the series early on, dissatisfied by its grittier themes, while some contend that the series abandoned Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's original concepts (though it has been reported that Roddenberry approved the concept of the series just before his death). Others hold that it is still the most solidly written of the Star Trek series produced. Fans of the series are known as "Niners" (after a baseball team of the same name which appeared in a later episode of the series) and are quite protective of their show against criticism.

The show was never the tremendous ratings success that its predecessor had been, and indeed Entertainment Weekly in a mid-1990s article suggested that Star Trek would soon end its voyage, but it remained the top rated first-run syndicated drama series throughout most of its run and was successful enough that Paramount launched two more Trek series. During its run it had to compete with its sister shows The Next Generation and Voyager which contributed to the low ratings.
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